Cheese Grits with Greens and Andouille

It's Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins, and these cheesy grits are my contribution the party. They're loaded up with butter, cream and Cheddar cheese, then topped with spicy andouille sausage and garlicky greens. Even with regular grits, this comes together in less than half an hour, and it tastes every bit as decadent as the ingredients would suggest.

The grits take the most time to prepare, so I started on them first. I used a recipe from chef Amber Huffman that I found on the Food and Wine web site. First I brought 4 cups chicken stock to a boil, then I gradually poured in 1 cup coarse polenta or grits, whisking the whole time. I dropped the heat down to simmer the mixture and added 1 minced garlic clove. Whisking frequently, I cooked for about 20 minutes, until thickened and creamy.

I sliced 1 andouille sausage into coins and put them in a single layer in a small skillet. I heated the skillet over medium-high heat and cooked the sausage, without touching, about 10 minutes, until browned and the fat was rendering. Then I turned the sausage and cooked a bit longer. When the sausage was finished, I removed it from the pan and added a sliced garlic clove and a bit of olive oil. Cooked until fragrant, about 1 minute, then added chopped frozen greens (the one I used was a mix of collards, mustard greens and kale, but any of them alone would do, too) and salt. Heated through.

When the grits were cooked, I whisked in 2 tablespoons cream, 4 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese. Served in shallow bowls topped with the greens and sausage.

Todd and I enjoyed the creamy, cheesy grits, and I loved the greens on mine. (Todd ate the sausage and greens separately.) I didn't try this out on the kids, but I wish I had. If I could get them past the texture of the grits I'm sure they would love the taste. They both ate sausage, and my 3-year-old had a spoonful of the greens, too. I'd make these for myself all the time, but I might get some pushback from the kids.

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